We have both been huge fans of spicy foods, and prior to going vegan, we enjoyed buffalo wings for their flavor. I did some scouring of the internet and found a recipe for Seitan Buffalo Wings, and we decided to give them a try! They were a hit! I changed the recipe a bit, from the linked recipe above, as I didn't want to make such an extravagant sauce...maybe we'll try their sauce next time!
Seitan Buffalo Wings
Seitan Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
3 cups "chicken-style" seitan
2 Tbsp oil
Sauce Ingredients:
6 Tbsp vegan butter (Earth Balance)
6 Tbsp Franks hot sauce
Pinch of cayenne
1 Tbsp vinegar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the seitan, whisking well. Add the seitan pieces and toss well. Place coated seitan pieces on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Bake for about 25 minutes until the coating is crisp, turning them over once, halfway through baking.
While the seitan is baking prepare the sauce. Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan, then add the Franks hot sauce, stirring well. Add a pinch or two of cayenne and the vinegar, stir well and keep warm until the wings are done.
Once the wings are done, toss them in the sauce to coat and serve hot, with carrots and celery or your favorite side dish. We enjoyed ours with some homemade oven fries.
These were pretty darn tasty! Next time I will do the sauce differently, as it became a little too thick for my preferences once the wings were tossed in it, but Xavier loved them! Maybe next time we can do something with some spicy BBQ sauce. Mmm...
Stay warm, friends!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
I love soup. It's easy to throw together and easy to heat up the leftovers. It is comforting on chilly nights, and makes the house smell fantastic.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 carrots, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 small bunch of celery leaves, torn into small pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 box shiitake mushrooms, sliced (optional, but they provide good flavor)
2 boxes button or baby portabello(portabella?) mushrooms, cut into pieces (I diced mine)
1 box or large can of vegetable stock
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
1tsp oregano
1tsp basil
Salt
Pepper (I used ground white pepper for this)
12 oz wild rice (I believe I used a blend of sorts)
Water (this will vary)
First off, get a large pot and drizzle some olive oil in it. Once that's heated, toss the carrots, onion, and celery in and get it simmering. Cook until the onions start to become translucent and the carrots seem a little tender or look like they're getting a little browned. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Then add the mushrooms and cook until they start to become softened. Then add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Add the rice and seasonings. If it isn't covered with liquid, add water. Maintain a simmer, stirring every so often, and checking to make sure there is water covering the vegetables and rice. You don't want it to get too thick. Continue cooking for 35-40 minutes, maybe longer, depending on the temperature and frequency of stirring. Taste the rice after 30 or 35 minutes to check for tenderness. You don't want it to be mushy, but you also don't want it to stick to your teeth. This is also a good time to adjust seasonings. If you need to cook it longer, go ahead and do so. You can adjust the thickness of the soup to your preference. I like a heartier soup, but some people prefer a more brothy soup. Use your discretion. Enjoy warm with a nice piece of bread.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 carrots, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 small bunch of celery leaves, torn into small pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 box shiitake mushrooms, sliced (optional, but they provide good flavor)
2 boxes button or baby portabello(portabella?) mushrooms, cut into pieces (I diced mine)
1 box or large can of vegetable stock
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
1tsp oregano
1tsp basil
Salt
Pepper (I used ground white pepper for this)
12 oz wild rice (I believe I used a blend of sorts)
Water (this will vary)
First off, get a large pot and drizzle some olive oil in it. Once that's heated, toss the carrots, onion, and celery in and get it simmering. Cook until the onions start to become translucent and the carrots seem a little tender or look like they're getting a little browned. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Then add the mushrooms and cook until they start to become softened. Then add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Add the rice and seasonings. If it isn't covered with liquid, add water. Maintain a simmer, stirring every so often, and checking to make sure there is water covering the vegetables and rice. You don't want it to get too thick. Continue cooking for 35-40 minutes, maybe longer, depending on the temperature and frequency of stirring. Taste the rice after 30 or 35 minutes to check for tenderness. You don't want it to be mushy, but you also don't want it to stick to your teeth. This is also a good time to adjust seasonings. If you need to cook it longer, go ahead and do so. You can adjust the thickness of the soup to your preference. I like a heartier soup, but some people prefer a more brothy soup. Use your discretion. Enjoy warm with a nice piece of bread.
Rilo
As many of you know, we have a new member of our household. Her name is Rilo. She isn't vegan - we just want her to be happy and healthy!
We have wanted a dog for quite some time now, and we had been talking about timing of things (house, kids, dog, etc.) and we started to do some research on different breeds that would be good for our lifestyle. We found Rilo's picture and knew that we had to visit her. We originally were going to wait until the Spring to get a dog, but we are so thankful to have her in our lives. We adopted her from the Aberdeen Humane Society just before Thanksgiving. They didn't have much information about her, but she seemed to be well behaved and mild mannered, so we took a leap of faith. We have been working on some things with her (like how protective she is of our "pack"), but after having her for about a month, we can't imagine life without her.
When we first brought her home, she needed some serious TLC and gentle grooming. I went to work with a scissors and cut a lot of her dreads and matted hair, and we worked on brushing her. We had to wait about a week to bathe her because she had just been spayed and we wanted to get her stitches removed and ensure proper healing before putting her in water. I tried bathing her by myself, which was a total disaster, but when Xavier got home from work, we were able to get the job done.
Thinking about it now, I'm glad we adopted her when we did. The winter months in South Dakota can get to be so dreary and draining, and Rilo does really lift our spirits. I feel so strongly that dogs can have a very positive effect mental health - some doctors even "prescribe" dogs to people with emotional turmoil or instability because they provide an outlet or something else to focus on besides "all of my terrible, awful, horrible problems." I'm not saying that I feel like I have emotional distress, but come Spring semester when I'm getting ready to defend for my Masters Degree, I will probably be very high stress, and it will be good to take Rilo for a run or just snuggle with her.
Xavier and I have had such a blast with our little pup. She is always making us laugh or making our hearts sing. I saw a car magnet a week or so ago and it made me smile - it said "Who Rescued Who?" Perhaps the grammar is a little wonky (I'll have to consult my husband on that), but I just loved the saying.
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| My buds on the ride home from Aberdeen. So much to see! It's a big world out there! |
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| She eventually settled down during the long ride back to our home. |
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| Rilo hates pictures - which typically results in me making goofy faces. |
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| Pre-Haircut |
When we first brought her home, she needed some serious TLC and gentle grooming. I went to work with a scissors and cut a lot of her dreads and matted hair, and we worked on brushing her. We had to wait about a week to bathe her because she had just been spayed and we wanted to get her stitches removed and ensure proper healing before putting her in water. I tried bathing her by myself, which was a total disaster, but when Xavier got home from work, we were able to get the job done.
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| Those paws!! |
Thinking about it now, I'm glad we adopted her when we did. The winter months in South Dakota can get to be so dreary and draining, and Rilo does really lift our spirits. I feel so strongly that dogs can have a very positive effect mental health - some doctors even "prescribe" dogs to people with emotional turmoil or instability because they provide an outlet or something else to focus on besides "all of my terrible, awful, horrible problems." I'm not saying that I feel like I have emotional distress, but come Spring semester when I'm getting ready to defend for my Masters Degree, I will probably be very high stress, and it will be good to take Rilo for a run or just snuggle with her.
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| We weren't going to allow her on the furniture, but we caved (only if we have a blanket for her to lay on). |
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| Bedtime Stories. |
Xavier and I have had such a blast with our little pup. She is always making us laugh or making our hearts sing. I saw a car magnet a week or so ago and it made me smile - it said "Who Rescued Who?" Perhaps the grammar is a little wonky (I'll have to consult my husband on that), but I just loved the saying.
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| "Ruff" Life. |
Monday, December 16, 2013
Updates Coming Soon!
Good afternoon, dear friends! I have fallen into a bit of a black hole since my last update. I've been so incredibly busy with work and school that I haven't had a chance to write a decent blog update. However, I do have a list of topics and recipes that I plan to share with you very soon! I have one more final exam to take (likely this afternoon or this evening), and then I will be a free woman for a few weeks!
Stay tuned! A blog update may come as early as tomorrow!
Stay tuned! A blog update may come as early as tomorrow!
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